May 31, 2012

MEDIA STATEMENT

Environment Canterbury welcomes opportunity to lead Natural Environment Recovery Programme

Environment Canterbury today welcomed the announcement by Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee that it would lead the Natural Environment Recovery Programme, an important part of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Strategy.

Environment Canterbury will partner with Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council, Waimakariri District Council, Ngāi Tahu and others to shape and implement the recovery programme.

Chair of Commissioners Dame Margaret Bazley offered her congratulations to Mr Brownlee and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority for the way they distilled the views of many stakeholders into a single, coherent strategy – despite the ongoing aftershocks since CERA’s creation in April 2011.

Dame Margaret says Environment Canterbury relishes the challenge of leading the Natural Environment Recovery Strategy. “We are very well placed to do this because it is core business for us and we are already working well with all the partner organisations in – for example - the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and the draft Land and Water Regional Plan,” Dame Margaret said. “We are also taking big strides in our joint work programme with Ngāi Tahu known as Tuia.

“We will work closely with our partners and with the NGO sector to deliver a steady recovery of the environment integrated with the other CERA workstreams.”

Dame Margaret said much work has already been done and is ongoing. “We will focus on identifying where there are gaps and ensuring all recovery activity in the natural environment is coordinated and focused on priority recovery needs.

“We will also develop ways to take advantage of the expertise, energy and passion that the NGO sector and volunteers will bring to the Natural Environment Recovery Strategy. We already appreciate their large contribution in areas such as biodiversity and we have noted the excellent job they did in the aftermath of the earthquakes themselves.”

Environment Canterbury will communicate plans for recovery of the natural environment and provide progress reports on its website and in other media as appropriate.

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